Black Girl Ventures, in partnership with Kroger and The Pistons Performance Center, stopped in Detroit on Sept. 29 to continue its 2022 pitch tour. The competition brought together six Black and Brown women-identifying founders, hundreds of supporters who voted for the winners, and three local champions who gave the founders insight and direction in pitching.
Black Girl Ventures Detroit Tour Stop Winners:
First Place | $10,000 Prize: Shelia Marshall-Curtis, founder of Safe Haven Empowerment for Girls, a non-profit organization designed to support teen girls in their journey of self discovery and finding their way to womanhood.
Second Place | $6,000 Prize: Alicia McKay, founder of No Fear Cafe, a learning center in Detroit that create fun and engaging educational programming for children and adults.
Third Place | $2,000 Prize: Deslyn Adams, founder of Koality Kontent, a sustainable collection of jigsaw puzzles for animal lovers and avid dissectologists looking for a high-quality puzzling experience.
Detroit Stop Local Champions:
During the competition, the champions provided feedback on the founders’ pitches and asked questions to help the audience know who to vote for. The champions included Marnita Harris, senior director of stakeholder engagement for the Detroit Regional Chamber; Brittany Kenebrew, division assistant HR lead for Kroger; Dusty Welch, executive director and lead program instructor for Sister Sprout.